


Didn't you want me?

by Impala_Cherry_Trickster



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Peter Parker, Demons, F/M, Fluff, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Hydra (Marvel), Loki & Peter Parker Friendship, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Original Character(s), Peter Parker & Shuri Friendship, Peter Parker Joins the Avengers, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:41:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22512646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Cherry_Trickster/pseuds/Impala_Cherry_Trickster
Summary: Peter is fed up of the Avengers treating him like a child, especially when he had fought alongside them. A night with his friends turns into something more than Peter could have ever predicted. But will it be a saviour, or a curse?
Relationships: Loki/Original Female Characters, Peter/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 67





	1. The Night

Peter Parker was not a superstitious person. However, having seen some of the darker sides of the world, he could not help but be wary as they settled down on the floor, admiring the rushed-together objects. Ned looked pleased with what he had found, some white chalk that had come from the attic, while Flash had managed to find some candles in one of the draws. Betty was already sitting down, having collected the matches and the sheets of paper that they had printed out.

‘This is a bad idea.’ Peter muttered to MJ, who had made the discovery that he was Spiderman not too long ago, when he got back from the Avengers Compound late one evening. Apparently, May had thought it a good idea to let MJ wait in his room, only for him to come crawling in the window. So not cool.

‘What’s the worse that can happen? Besides, it’ll take Flash first.’ The last part was a joke, and even though the others laughed, Flash flipping MJ off, Peter was beginning to regret drinking any alcohol. It clouded his judgement, even with low amounts, despite the enhancement in his blood. This was supposed to be a good evening, yet he was starting to think it might end badly.

‘That’s not straight!’ Betty pointed out, snatching the chalk from Ned and completely the drawing on the old floorboards, before setting up the candles. MJ had the writing in her hand, screwing her face up slightly as she read over the words in her mind.

‘Whose item are we putting in?’ Ned pointed out, while Flash lunged for Peter. Even with his reflexes, he couldn’t rock back in time, and a few strands of hair were yanked from his head.

‘Hey!’ He protested, but Flash had already handed them across. MJ shot him an apologetic look, while Spiderman leant back against the couch, staring at the chalk lines. Of all the idiotic things he had done, this had to be up there. If Mr Stark even had a clue about what he was doing, the billionaire would be taking the suit off him. Peter knew that, but he didn’t stop Betty from taking the strands, mixing them with the chemicals they had managed to find.

‘Rosemary?’ Ned had grabbed some, or at least he thought it was rosemary, from the herb garden out the back. That was enough, it burnt and began to spread the scent.

‘Sage?’ Another herb, that Peter was sure was Mint, not sage, handed across. If he was going to stop this, he needed to do it now. But he didn’t, watched the mixture form. Betty went first, dipped her fingers into it and drew in one of the sections of the pentagram. Flash shoved her slightly, reaching to steal the mixture, doing the same. Then Ned, who was slightly more hesitant, looking up to Peter. He didn’t stop his friend, watched as it was passed to MJ. And by the time it got to him, the last one needed to draw, he figured that everyone else had already done it, he might as well.

‘Okay, say the Latin stuff.’ MJ started talking, voice unused to the language, and slipping in several key spots. Betty took over half-way through, until the words trailed off, and they waited. For a moment, nothing happened, and Peter relaxed back. Why had he been worried? It was just some stupid trick, nothing was going to happen.

The candles flared suddenly, lighting the room more than anticipated, and his vision blurred slightly with the bright light. He blinked, saw the others shying away from the light, before a cold wind brushed in as the window-shutters opened.

Betty squealed, stood and kicked one of the candles over, thankfully it wasn’t burning. Ned ran after her, calling for her to calm down, that it had just been wind. Flash grinned, looked across at them.

‘Safe, for now.’ MJ rolled her eyes, stated that she needed to get going before her parents worried. Flash shrugged, Peter too busy staring at the chalk lines to say goodbye. Flash was the next to stand, kicking Peter in the shin for good measure, before following.

He was the last to move, grabbing his bag and shoving his stuff back in, before looking back to the Pentagram. One of the chalk lines was broken, the bowl of liquid had tipped over and stained the floor, and he was glad they had found an abandoned house to do this in. Otherwise, he would have had to clean the mess up. Leaving the Pentagram behind, he left the house, trotted down the steps and out into the night.

A text pinged through from Ned, telling him that Betty had finally calmed down and they were on their way home, which was reassuring. Peter had already decided that Spiderman could have the night off, it was the weekend tomorrow, and he was due at the Compound the day after. It gave him the entire day to be Spiderman, seeing as his school-work was already finished.

‘May, I’m home!’ He called, heard her say something about their being food in the fridge. He went across, snatched the tub and headed to the microwave, humming a tune under his breath as he moved around the kitchen.

Mr Stark had been wanting him to train, now that the Avengers had all reunited, and Peter was quite happy to do so. It had been cool, being able to train amongst the Earth’s mightiest heroes, even if he didn’t quite fit in with them. He was too young, and his only real friend on the team was Shuri, who he had met over the summer. He supposed the others were alright, but they didn’t seem to view him as an equal, even though he had fought by their sides.

The Gods were okay, Thor would sometimes clap him on the shoulder and say well done, Loki would stay silent and read in the corners of rooms, occasionally looking up to call his brother an oaf. But that was it, he was still viewed as a kid. Pepper treated him slightly better, but he could tell she was doing it out of a want to protect him, rather than because she thought he was a mature Avenger. One day, he might get to prove himself, especially seeing as he knew that there were issues with HYDRA at the moment, that Captain Rogers was trying to sort.

He finished the food, scoffing it down quickly, starving since mid-afternoon. Maybe he would go out patrolling, see if anything odd was happening in the city. No, that was just his paranoia, he told himself, because of what they had stupidly done tonight. Anyway, what was so wrong with it? The whole team treated him like a kid, so why shouldn’t he act like one? That’s what kids do, get drunk and mess around with friends.

Annoyed, frustrated, and definitely fed up with everything, Peter threw open the door to his room and shut it, flicking the light switch on and turning.

He stumbled, hit the wall and slid down against the door, reaching on instinct for the draw where his Spiderman suit was, eyes focused on the person sitting on his bed. A girl, dressed in almost entirely black clothing, turned to look up at him.

‘Who… who are you? Did May let you in?’ He gestured to his door as he said the last part, wondered why May would have let anyone in so late, watched as the girl grinned. Her eyes flicked black, and Peter was pretty sure his dinner was going to make a reappearance.

‘Why, I thought you summoned me?’


	2. Clarke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Demon, and Peter's worries

The boy seemed torn between stabbing her, and running. That was okay, she could wait, watched the many emotions cross his face. She’d been waiting a long time to escape Hell, and now this kid had given her the chance to do so, and she intended to thank him for it. However, what she hadn't expected was to be bonded to Peter Parker, Spiderman himself. That was shocking, although she hid it well, watching the human with curiosity.

‘I… I didn’t mean to do that.’ No, she was sure he hadn't thought it would work, but that was alright. She could work with that.

‘I figured. Nice to meet you, Peter. I’m Clarke.’ She offered out her hand, watched him eye it up dubiously. They had time, it wasn’t like she needed to be back in Hell. Slowly, a hand extended, reached for her with the slightest tremor. She could already tell, just from the worried expression but the burning curiosity, they were going to have so much fun.

**

Peter was pretty sure he was close to having a panic attack. Even now, three hours since he’d first walked into his room, he still couldn’t quite believe that there was a Demon sitting in his room. A demon that apparently was connected to him, because he was the one who summoned the creature. That clump of hair Flash pulled? Currently the reason that the Demon, Clarke, was telling him that she was here to serve him.

‘Why… aren’t Demons, yanno, evil?’ He hadn't really been expecting a Demon to look so… normal. Clarke was probably around 5ft6, blonde hair, bright green eyes. She looked to be only a couple of years older than him, nothing like what Peter had thought.

‘I’m going to be honest, we are. But I want out of Hell, and to stay out, so call this a truce.’ A truce. A Demon was offering him a truce. And all Peter could think about was how Tony was going to kill him as soon as he found out. If he found out.

‘Truce?’ It came out as a squeak, partly because he was still struggling to breathe, and the Demon was standing up and shrugging.

‘I won’t break any laws. Well, no major ones. In return, if you need me, just call. I’ll come.’ She was moving towards the window, and Peter was beginning to realise that not only had he summoned a Demon, but that same Demon was about to leave. Should he stop her? Send her back?

‘Wait!’ But Clarke was grinning, gone in a blink of an eye, and Peter was alone in his room.

**

‘Everything okay? You seem distracted.’ Tony was moving around the lab, not really interested in the toys he was playing with, more concerned with Peter. He could tell, because the genius kept giving him sideways glances, looks that told Peter he wasn’t doing a very good job at hiding his secret from anyone. It had been just over a day since he had seen Clarke, and so far, nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

But what if it did? What if she started killing people? Then again, wasn’t it wrong to judge her, based on her title? This team was made up of people that could do bad, that had done some of the worst crimes known. Bucky, Loki, Natasha, sure he understood that they had been tortured and trained, but it didn’t mean they were completely forgiven by the world.

So, Peter replied that he was fine, looked back to the project they were working on. He could pretend Clarke didn’t exist, that he had never summoned her. He doubted he would ever see her again, she seemed pretty keen to get away, and he had no intention of ever calling her back to his side. With that thought, he pushed down the guilt. Hundreds of people had to have tried summoning Demons, so why did Clarke come to him? Did she have a choice? Was it a scientific step, something that could be explained?

So many questions, but he didn’t want to summon her to ask.

**

Night-patrol had always been his favourite thing to do, swinging through the city and observing the streets below. Tonight was quiet, a couple of drunks, an old lady that needed help getting home. Nothing out of the ordinary. He wasn’t sure why he had expected there to be something different, or why he found himself disappointed that there were no signs of anything Demonic.

The lady at the library had been quite surprised when he had asked for everything they had on Demon-lore. He had tried to convince her that it was for a class, but she seemed disapproving anyway, so he’d taken the books and run. There wasn’t much, nothing that proved anything concrete, but he did have an idea for an exorcism that he could use if things went wrong. It was written on a scrap of paper, tucked into his suit, in case he came across the girl with dark eyes while out patrolling.

He was tempted to ask Loki or Thor about Demons. They were from a different world, had lived for over a thousand years, the chances were that they had heard something about Demons. That, however, meant alerting the team to the fact he was asking weird questions. It wasn’t unusual for him to do such a thing, but he tended to be a very honest person, who would struggle to lie if asked directly about his motives.

‘Evening, stranger.’ He froze, turned slowly to find Clarke on the rooftop beside him, dressed in ripped jeans and a jacket. She wasn’t watching him, instead was looking out across the city, a smile on her face.

‘Clarke.’ He hesitantly greeted, waited to see if he was going to be attacked. Instead, she walked right to the ledge, sat down beside him.

‘The city is better at night. Quieter.’ It was one of the reasons he preferred it, but he wasn’t going to start agreeing with a Demon. Not when he knew so little about her.

‘What are you doing here?’ He opted for the question, figuring she’d lie. Instead, green eyes turned to him, a small frown on her face.

‘Wanted to check up on you. Most people would be using a Demon to get things they wanted.’ Peter had thought about that, wondered what would have happened if it hadn't been his hair that went into the mix. If Flash had got a Demon, or even Ned, would they have asked her to do something? Did she expect him to ask for something? He thought about the exorcism in his jacket, momentarily considered using it.

‘It makes you a better person. If you have questions, all you had to do was ask.’ She knew he’d been researching. Was she watching him? Peter turned to ask her, but stopped when he saw her expression. So, he took out the piece of paper, handed it across and wondered why he was trusting a Demon, the literal vision of Hell.

‘You’ve misspelled a couple of the words. Here.’ A pen appeared in hand, and when the paper was handed back, he was surprised to find that she had indeed corrected some of the words.

‘This’ll work?’

‘If you think you have to use it, yes.’ Clarke waited, almost like she was testing him. Peter had a chance, now, to send her back. But he didn’t, and after twenty seconds of silence past, he was left alone on the rooftop wondering if he’d just made a big mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Avengers coming up soon!


	3. Eva

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An assignment gives the first clue that Peter is hiding something

He should not be doing this. It was like tempting fate. But then he thought back to the conversation he’d just had with Captain Rogers, who had promised to teach him a little about WW2 before Peter had to write his assignment for school. The Captain had promised, so Peter had gone to the compound, only for Steve Rogers to explain that he was busy trying to save the world from HYDRA, and that he could get back to Peter’s homework after.

He was right, the world did have more important things. But it was the look the Captain gave him, the point that Peter was just a kid, that he shouldn’t even be at the Compound. Now, Peter was looking down at the blank word document, with no inspiration to write anything down. He knew the basic facts, of course, but where was the fun in that? Which led him to the thing he should not be doing. Sitting down, shutting his eyes, and hoping that he didn’t look like an idiot.

‘Clarke? Uh, can you hear me?’ Nothing, like he’d expected that to magically work, then jumped when he opened his eyes to find the Demon in his room. Then, he laughed, because she looked utterly ridiculous.

‘What, you don’t like?’ She was smiling as well, twirled slightly, giving him a better view of the Hawaiian shirt and flamingo pants she was wearing, a pair of neon-pink sunglasses on her head.

‘Where were you?’

‘Australia, I think. What’s up?’ She perched on the windowsill, and now Peter felt stupid. He’d just called a Demon to ask her what she thought about World War 2, if she had any recollection of it. How stupid could he get? Plus, since when was he being friendly with her?

‘I… no it was stupid, never…’ Unfortunately, Clarke was already peering over at the assignment question, to pick a part of World War 2 that looked interesting, and explore the impacts of both the allied forces, and the Germans, on that topic.

‘Oh! World War 2, one of my favourites. Okay, so, where do you want to start?’ Peter blinked, looked up at her and wondered, not for the first time, if he was going insane.

**

Clarke was eating a KitKat while Peter wrote the assessment, on a young girl called Eva Weber, a young girl that was one of the Jews saved by Schindler. She had the honour of meeting both of them in person, had gone into great detail about how Oskar had been a member of the Nazi party, yet had done such heroic deeds. Now, Peter was busy typing away, while Clarke was wondering why KitKat’s were so addictive. This had to be her fifth one.

‘Why were you in Australia?’ She broke out of her trance, looked across at him, realising he was genuinely curious. She shifted, crossed her legs from where she was sitting on his bed.

‘I’m hunting down rogue Demons and sending them back to Hell.’ There, that was honest. His eyed widened comically, mouth dropping open slightly, and she took pity on him.

‘I’ll go make lunch, continue your work.’

The kitchen wasn’t too hard to work, and she managed to cook some chicken strips and fries without too much effort. Grabbing a soda from the fridge, she walked back into Peter’s room, impressed with the now-lengthy document he had on the topic.

‘Thanks.’ He sounded surprised as she put the plate down, and Clarke reminded herself that not everybody was expecting a Demon to be a good person. Well, she wasn’t, only to Peter and those that deserved it. He was doing good in the world, she could see that just from his nightly patrols.

‘These Demons, what makes them different from you?’ He looked up, and she was reminded of a puppy, so curious and happy yet scared of being shut down. He was a boy, sure, not much older than she was when she died, but compared to the team of men and women that he fought with? He was young, but he had seen a lot. It was the only reason she trusted him, knowing that he had a pure soul, and wouldn’t do anything malicious, not without being provoked.

‘There are different kind. Think of it in levels, four tiers of Demons.’ He was reaching for a piece of paper and pencil, handing them across with a shy smile, like he was worried she would deny him. Honestly, she had been tempted to keep it a secret, but why should she? He had trusted her, and the way friendships formed was to trust back.

‘So, on the bottom, you’ve got Lesser Demons. Those are the ones that do the gross stuff, sorting out human souls and bits like that.’ A human should never know what happened in the Underworld, in the Realms of Hell where all religions and beliefs were combined, but she didn’t need to worry. Peter, when he died, nice and old and having lived a long life, would not be going anywhere near Hell. She drew the bottom tier, then another line.

‘These guys, think of them as the Middle Class Demons. They get the slightly better jobs, get to boss the Lesser’s around. Together, these guys make up around 90% of the Demons.’ She drew another line.

‘Top dogs, impressive creatures that you wouldn’t want to mess with, powerful, and they don’t leave Hell.’ A final line.

‘The Princes of Hell, the rulers. There are nine Princes of Hell in total, and they control who goes where.’ There, her diagram finished, she handed it back to Peter.

‘Good luck on your history thing.’ She stood, making him aware that she was about to bounce.

‘Thanks. I should get it back Thursday.’ She made a note of that, before looking to his spiderman suit, that was out in the open rather than hidden in a closet.

‘Oh yeah, I’m going away this Friday with the Avengers on a mission.’ He was so young, she thought, to be fighting. Sure, in her time, maybe it was more appropriate. She would keep an eye on him.

‘Stay safe. And if you need me, call.’ She pretended not to hear him repeat the first statement to her, leaving the room in favour of the Australian sun.

**

May was worried. She didn’t often get a call from Peter’s school, especially not to say that they were concerned about Peter’s work. According to his teacher, Peter had written about a young Jewish girl during Nazi-Germany, which was fine. But the records on her were classified, and his teacher had to stress that, although he may be doing an apprenticeship with Tony Stark, he couldn’t use materials that a teacher couldn’t access, otherwise they didn’t know if it was correct.

Which was why she was now telling Tony Stark off, in front of Captain Rogers and the Black Widow, for letting him have access to classified files.

‘Ms Parker, hang on, Peter did what?’ She repeated the story, watched confusion pass across their faces, Tony looking across to the Captain. He looked just as baffled, and she realised they had no clue what she was talking about.

‘You didn’t give him access?’ Which either meant that Peter had done it himself, or someone else had. Tony assured her that he would ask on Friday, just two days away now, and May gave in. How could she not, Peter was growing up quicker than anticipated, was going on a mission on Friday. She was just glad that he was putting the effort in at school, even if he was going outside of the box to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love to hear from you guys <3


	4. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Clarke grow closer, Tony's suspicious

_Suffocating. Suffocating to death, he was going to die, alone, trapped under the rubble. Nobody was going to find him, he was going to leave May all alone, leave Tony knowing that Peter hadn't listened to his warnings. The rubble was killing him, the weight crushing his body, his muscles aching. He was screaming, but nobody was going to come for him, there was nobody left._

_He couldn’t keep going._

_He was going to die._

_Alone. He was so alone._

_‘Please.’ He was begging, not that anybody was listening, so alone._

_‘PLEASE!’_

**

‘Peter!’ Arms were grabbing him, holding him down as he tried to fight free of the rubble. Strangely, he was on a rather soft floor, was warm and his Spidey-Sense was telling him that he was safe. He wasn’t trapped under rubble, rather in his bed, sweaty sheets twisted around his form. His chest was heaving, and he realised that he had been fighting someone, saw scratches both on his arms, and the ones that had been holding him down. Looking up, a set of bright blue eyes were looking down, wide and concerned.

‘You with me?’ Clarke was a calming presence, and he forced himself to gulp before nodding, trying to shake away the last fragments of the nightmare. It had been the same as most, the fear of dying, alone and afraid, because he couldn’t handle the responsibility that he had been given.

‘Sorry.’ He was staring at her arms, and when Clarke caught his gaze, she sighed. Then, just like magic, the scratches disappeared entirely, leaving behind milky skin and not a single mark blemishing it.

‘They happen often?’ She sat back against the bed, while he sat back against the headboard and tried to calm his heartrate.

‘Sometimes.’ He didn’t really want to talk about it, but she seemed to understand, and held out her hand. A second later, a mug of something steaming was in her hand, and she offered it across. When he paused, she chuckled, gesturing to it.

‘Hot chocolate. My mom used to make it for me when I was little.’ That had way too many branches to explore, so he settled for taking the mug, surprised by how much the warmth settled him. Clarke just gave a small smile, lopsided, and it was then that he took in her appearance. She looked tired, far too tired for a Demon, and her clothes were back to being dark colours.

‘Got tired of Australia?’ She laughed, keeping it quiet enough that May wouldn’t hear. Peter wondered what his Aunt would think, a Demon sitting on his bed and comforting him after a nightmare.

‘Too many spiders.’ She joked, even smiling, but it seemed exhausted. He didn’t want to ask, knew it wasn’t his place to start questioning what she did. And, honestly, he didn’t want to know. He was happy believing she was good, and the less he knew, the more it kept that belief. Call him selfish, but it was nice to have someone to talk to, that he could be himself with. Someone that didn’t seem surprised that he woke up gasping for air.

‘You never told me what rank of Demon you are.’ He finally stated, the question had been burning inside him for too long, and Clarke looked slightly shocked at his question.

‘If I told you, would it change your opinion of me?’ It wasn’t really a question, she was stating it, so he let the silence settle between them. It was peaceful, and by the time he had finished the hot chocolate, he was beginning to feel tired again.

‘Sleep. I’ll swing by tomorrow.’ He had just enough strength to joke about how he was the only one swinging, Clarke’s light laughter being the thing that accompanied his head hitting the pillow.

**

An A- wasn’t bad, the teacher telling him that he needed to work on the fact that not everyone had access to such information. She wanted him to put a source in, next time, if he was going to use information like that. How could he put her in his work? Oh yeah, a Demon conveniently told me what life was like for this girl? He brushed the thoughts away, almost ran into the back of Ned, who was standing outside.

‘What is it?’

‘Check out the bike.’ He looked across, to where a small crowd had gathered, all staring at a shiny bike. It was sleek, a bike he would think was expensive, although he didn’t really know bikes well enough to tell. Then he saw the rider, and realised how utterly screwed he was. Clarke was leaning back, dressed in leather, seemingly bored as she waited amongst a group of humans. He could have laughed, she looked so mundane, apparently the group around her wasn’t that important.

‘More like check her out.’ Flash shoved into him, Peter almost stumbling, before MJ caught him by his backpack handle and hauled him up.

‘Show some respect.’ Peter snapped, then wished he hadn't said anything when Flash turned, eyes narrowing. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how he viewed his social status at school, Clarke spotted him. She grinned, lazily smiled in the way that he had gotten used to.

‘Hey Peter.’ He left Flash quickly, hoping to avoid confrontation, reaching the bike and looking it over. Yeah, definitely scary, definitely expensive.

‘Clarke. Swinging by?’ She stuck her tongue out, grabbed one of the helmets and chucked it at him. He caught it, couldn’t quite believe he was agreeing to this. She handed him a jacket, and should he have been surprised that it fit perfectly? With the jacket and helmet on, he climbed on cautiously behind her, gripped the handles.

‘S’okay, I’ll drive carefully.’

**

Tony Stark looked at the footage, tapped his foot as he re-watched it. Indeed, he was very unsure about this, didn’t know if he liked the fact that there was some unknown girl that Peter hadn't mentioned driving him about on a bike.

‘Who is she?’ Steve was walking past, coffee in hand, while Tony whirled to him.

‘Exactly! Who is she!’ Natasha was also in the kitchen, not even bothering to turn around.

‘Need me to hunt her down?’ Tony was tempted, but Steve quickly scolded him.

‘We’ll just ask Peter tomorrow, once the mission’s over.’ Tony didn’t like the fact that the kid was hiding things from him, who was she? Peter didn’t have secrets from him, not anymore, yet a girl that was driving him around? Seemed serious. Tony secretly told FRIDAY to look her up and find everything she could on the girl, before leaving the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been on Tumblr for a while, but I haven't really used it. But I'd love to hear from you guys, so if you want to come and speak to me, feel free! My name's blondemarvelchick, come say Hi! Plus, if you guys would like me to follow, leave your name in the comments or message me, I'm attempting to actually be sociable! :)


	5. What the Hell?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission gone wrong

This wasn’t how the Mission was supposed to go. Peter winced, avoiding the gunfire and ducking into the building, pressing his back to the wall and panting. His thigh was burning, the gunshot wound was nasty, and he would need to get the bullet out before he even thought about healing. Then there was the HYDRA agents, that were currently coming in this direction. He had lost sight of the Black Widow, the partner he had been assigned, after she had gone after Captain Rogers.

‘Karen? Where is everyone?’ He whispered, looking back to the bullet-wound. Blood oozed out, and he bit his lip to stop the cry that came when he tried to put pressure on it. He was screwed, he was out of webs, and Karen had decided to go offline, hacked into by the HYDRA base. This wasn’t how he thought he would die, moving slowly down a dark corridor and hoping to avoid being captured.

‘Parker!’ He could have cried with relief, almost falling as Bucky gripped him tight, slipped his non-metal arm to prop him up.

‘Hold on, kid.’ Yeah, that’s what he was trying to do. They were moving towards the door, before Bucky swore, and Peter saw why. Guns, lots of them, and Peter felt the world go black.

**

‘Kid. Kid c’mon, open your eyes.’ Peter recognised Tony’s voice, let his eyes open and blinked back the light. Luckily, he quickly realised they were in the Avengers Compound, not in the HYDRA base that they had been attacking. Tony was in the room, as was Doctor Banner, both of them looking pleased when Peter slowly sat up.

‘Woah, easy. How you feeling?’ The wound on his leg was bandaged, they couldn’t put him in the cradle like they had done with Clint, his mutation made it difficult.

‘Alright.’ Wow, his throat hurt, and he was grateful when a glass of water was handed across. He drained it, looked around the familiar lab, then back to his bandaged leg.

‘It should heal within 48 hours, but Loki can heal it, if you need.’ No, he didn’t need the God to waste the energy. It was then that he remembered the mission, and that he had promised to call Clarke when he woke up.

‘How long have I been out?’ He was glad that he was still in a shirt and boxers, grabbed the pants that Tony held out as the billionaire helped him stand.

‘Around eighteen hours. We’ve called May, told her you’re staying for the weekend.’ Shit, Clarke was going to kill him. After asking his mentor where his phone was, he stumbled out of the room, found most of the Avengers in the main room. They looked pleased to see him up and walking, but that didn’t mean they were going to be happy when he suggested that he continue to join the team on missions. Knowing his luck, he was about to be booted.

‘Thanks for coming for me, Bucky.’ The soldier gave him a nod, a small smile, and Peter reached his pile of stuff on the counter. His phone was the first thing he went for, scrolling through until he found the number Clarke had left. He dialled, put it to his ear and began walking into the kitchen. It didn’t matter, they would be able to hear anyway, most of them were enhanced.

‘PETER!’

‘Hey, Clarke.’

‘You’re injured.’ She didn’t sound impressed, and honestly, Peter was beginning to understand why. His leg ached.

‘Not badly.’ He tried to reassure, saw Tony trying to discreetly listen to the conversation. Friday chose that moment to start speaking, alerting Tony that there were energy waves being reported that were unrecognised from within the Compound.

‘Tell me that yourself, dipshit.’ Peter flinched, lowered the phone and turned. Several weapons were pointed in Clarke’s direction, from where she had popped up in the room, but she seemed unfazed. Back in her usual dark outfit, she strode across the room and to his side and looked down at his thigh.

‘Bullet wound?’ Her hand reached out, and Peter hissed slightly at the faintest pressure. It was gone a second later, completely gone, the pain vanished. He moved his leg, bent it, before stepping down on it.

‘Did… did you just heal the bullet wound?’ Clarke shrugged, had turned her attention to the room, and the many weapons pointed at her.

‘Peter?’ Tony inquired, not taking his eyes off of Clarke.

‘Hey, guys, it’s okay. This is Clarke, and she’s… on our side. Clarke, the Avengers.’ A couple of people lowered weapons, like Wanda and Steve, but Tony was still looking unsure. Nobody spoke for a moment, evidently expecting Tony to take lead on this.

‘She just… appeared.’ That was a good point, and not one he had thought of how to explain. It turns out, he didn’t need to, because someone else in the room did.

‘That’s because Lady Clarke is a Demon.’ Heads spun, identifying the source of the knowledge as Loki, who was eyeing up Clarke with an amused expression. Clarke matched it, grinned dangerously.

‘Hey there, Mischief. Nice to see you alive.’

**

Clarke let the noise die down, people all running around like headless chickens, demanding explanations and tests and proof. Ultimately, she just waited for the shock to die down, waited until they were sitting down. Peter stayed by her side, trying to explain that he hadn't actually intended to summon a Demon, it had just happened. Clarke, however, was more intrigued by the God of Mischief. He looked better than he had done when she’d last seen him, stuck somewhere in the deep depths of Space, in the Void between life and Death. It was a dangerous place for her to roam, but she had enough power to do so, and it was where she had first met Loki Laufeyson.

He looked healthier, this time. Stronger. Just as curious of her power as she was of his. They silently conveyed their opinions in looks, shared across the room while Clarke stayed close to the person who had summoned her in the first place. She wouldn’t say it aloud, but they were bonded, her spirit tied to his soul, the reason she was allowed to roam the Earth. It also meant that she could heal him as she just had, with no repercussions on the human.

‘You’re a Demon.’ Tony Stark didn’t seem convinced, so she flicked her eyes black for good measure, not that that was their first colour. It was just the one associated with being a Demon.

‘That’s impossible.’ Captain Rogers, the man that must still believe in God. Interesting.

‘Peter… what the Hell?’


	6. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke has two friends within the Avengers, Peter and Loki

She sat in the cell, wondering if they realised that it wasn’t holding her. For Peter’s sake, she was letting them keep her here, hoping he could convince them not to banish her. It wouldn’t be nice, banishment hurt like a bitch, and she really didn’t think she could go back to Hell. In fact, if they came to the conclusion to exorcise her back to hell, she might decide self-sacrifice was the better way to go.

‘Clarke.’ She watched the God of Mischief come into the room, gaze neutral, but she knew what he was thinking. The last time they had met, Loki had looked ready to die. And Clarke, she hadn't been much better, attempting to escape the ruling of her father.

‘Loki. You look well.’ He did, Midgard suited him well, although she could see the slight cracks around the edges of his soul, torture hadn't suited him well.

‘Is Hell that bad?’ Of course it was. She was going to be killed when she went back there, slowly and painfully, and she didn’t want that. In fact, sitting in this tank stuck between going back to Hell, and being judged by a group of mortals that couldn’t begin to fathom what she had seen, she found herself tearing up. Freedom, that’s what she had, when Peter summoned her. But she had to save him, to heal the bullet wound, she couldn’t leave him in pain.

‘They’re going to kill me.’ She mumbled, lip quivering and her heart racing, and Loki moved to the edge of the glass, face showing the compassion that she had seen back in their last meeting.

‘Oh, Clarke…’ She didn’t hesitate, rushed at the glass and passed straight through it, barrelling into the God of Mischief and wrapping her arms around him. He owed her, and what she wanted right now was someone to tell her that it was going to be alright, even if she didn’t believe it. He didn’t speak, instead opting for holding her, before she stepped back.

‘You could run.’ Loki pointed out, looking to the now-empty tank, but she shook her head.

‘I’m bound to Peter. I need to keep him safe.’ That was her duty, for as long as she remained on Earth. Speaking of, she wondered why Loki had chosen to remain on Midgard, not Asgard with his Mother. They seemed close.

‘Let’s hope they see it like that.’

**

Peter watched Clarke hug Loki, the way the two stood close and spoke in hushed tones that couldn’t be picked up by the cameras.

‘Long lost lovers?’ Tony asked, staring at the screen. Steve didn’t speak, but Natasha did, scoffing slightly.

‘Wrong body language.’

‘I can assure you, I have never seen Lady Clarke before.’ Thor agreed with Natasha, while Peter still marvelled over the fact that he could move his leg. He had been trying to convince the team that Clarke meant no harm, that she was on their side. He told them how he’d summoned her, that she had been helping him. Conveniently, he left out the part about nightmares.

‘So, what rank of Demon is she?’ He fell silent, Tony sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

‘Listen, kid, I’m sure you think she means well, but…’

‘We cannot send the Lady back to Hell. Not if she means something to my brother.’ Thor protested sharply, and Peter was grateful that he had someone on his side. Tony spun to the God, looking back to the cameras where Clarke was laughing, head tipped back and a bright smile on Loki’s face. Peter had never seen either of them like that, they obviously had some history.

‘Then we ask them. And, if she tells the truth, we consider it.’

**

Clarke was sure she was supposed to be taking this seriously, but she was really hungry, and the grapes that had been laid out were her current focus. She had eaten at least half of them already, aware that most of the people around the table were staring at her. She was at the end of the table, so people could stare at her, Loki on one side, Peter on the other. She offered a grape to her bonded friend, who looked at her like she was insane.

‘How do you two know each other?’ Tony flicked an accusatory finger between them, and Clarke went to say something snarky, but Loki was quick to answer. Honestly, as well. Maybe he was concerned about her going back to Hell.

‘In the Void, during my time with Thanos.’ Clarke watched his soul carefully, the darkness that came whenever the creature was mentioned. She reached out, squeezed his arm with a small smile, watched him smile back.

‘Why were you in the Void?’ The Captain asked, and seeing as Loki had started the conversation, she saw no need to end it. Besides, if it meant she could keep close to Peter and make sure he stayed alive, then that was a good shout.

‘It’s the place between life and death. I can go there, sometimes.’ Only if she was feeling risky. Peter was taking notes, the little nerd, writing down things as if he were planning on asking about them later. He probably was, actually, and it was cute that he was trying to get to know her.

‘How do we know you aren’t here to do demonic things?’ She didn’t point out that anything she did was demonic, because she was a Demon, instead looked across to Loki.

‘He can read my mind. Ask him.’

‘Are we trusting Reindeer Games when he’s biased?’ Tony snapped, before anyone could agree with the proposition. That drew anger from the big guy by Loki’s side, presumably the brother she had heard about. It also drew the attention of a woman at the end of the table, young, but her eyes were burning with curiosity.

‘Could I read your mind?’ So, the woman was a telepath. Interesting, but Clarke wasn’t entirely sure she trusted a novice to go routing around in her mind. Glancing across to Loki, she waited for his opinion.

‘Wanda can access memories and thoughts, but she also has the ability to make you see the thing you fear.’ Clarke didn’t like it, not one bit, face forming into a frown. Just as she was about to bite out a remark, Peter nudged her. She looked across, saw the pleading expression on his face.

‘Please?’ She kept the eye contact, studied the boy, before she sighed.

‘Fine.’ Loki shook his head, mumbled something about her being an idiot, while Clarke stood up.

‘Let’s get this over with.’

**

‘Just relax.’ Wanda suggested, coming closer. Her hands were red, eyes beginning to glow slightly, and Clarke shifted in the seat. Loki was the only other one close, for fear of what might happen if she lashed out, unintentionally, when someone tried to mess with her mind.

‘One question, before I go digging in. How old are you?’ Of course, the older Clarke was, the more memories she would have stored in her mind. She relaxed back into the chair, shut her eyes tightly.

‘This’ll be one hell of a ride, excuse the pun.’ That was the only answer the telepath was getting, and so she took another step closer.

Clarke waited, felt the pain as someone tried to crack into her mind. She couldn’t help it, arched up and her eyes flared open, she didn’t need to see them to know they were burning red. It hurt, felt like flames rushing over her body, and even trying to hold onto the bond she shared with Peter was not enough to stop the scream from falling from her lips.


	7. Daggers and Dodging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke's been accepted, but can she keep Peter safe?

The moment she screamed, Peter made a move to go to her. But, strangely, it was Loki who stopped him. The God moved quickly, to crouch in front of the Demon, taking her hand. They began to glow, both of them, a green mist that seemed to wrap around them. Wanda was focused, before she stumbled back, blinking away the red from her eyes. Clarke shot up, straight into Loki, who held her tightly as her shoulders shook slightly.

It was then that Peter reminded himself, despite the fact that she was a Demon, she didn’t look that much older than him. More things he didn’t know about her, things he wanted to ask about.

‘She bears no ill intentions to any of us.’ Wanda remarked, rubbing her temple slightly with a confused look, like she couldn’t understand what she had seen. Loki stepped back, and Clarke was back to her normal look, bright eyes and a sarcastic smirk on her face, nothing like the pained scream he had heard seconds before.

‘We good?’ She was staring at Tony, Peter realised, and he was surprised to find that his Mentor actually looked guilty. Like he regretted what he had just put her through.

‘We’re good.’ He eventually said, Peter sighing with relief.

**

He was training, down in the gym, with Steve attempting to show him how to throw punches. Peter was listening, honestly he was, but punching wasn’t his style. Eventually, the Captain seemed to catch on that he wasn’t really interested, stepping back and smiling down at him.

‘We can take a break?’ He thanked the Captain, still slightly nervous around him, and watched the man leave the room. Noisily, Clarke sucked on the straw of the juice-box she had been given, and Peter rolled his eyes.

‘Not having fun?’ She inquired, squashing the box and summoning another one. It was chucked at him, but he caught it and gave her a smile.

‘Punching seems… stupid.’ Clarke hesitated, before gesturing to the ring.

‘Come on.’ He blinked, realised what she was offering, and followed. She seemed slightly unhappy about it, he wasn’t sure why she had offered to fight when she looked like she regretted it straight away, but it was just another thing he added to the list of things he couldn’t understand.

‘Like this.’ She moved his feet slightly, then reached for his arms, adjusting his stance. He went boneless, allowed her to manoeuvre him. Then, she copied the position, looked up at him.

‘If you don’t want to fight with punches, you’ve got to learn to be fluid. Movement is the best way to avoid punching.’ All of a sudden, he had a leg flying at him, and he ducked so suddenly he almost fell. When he stood up, ready to ask her what the Hell she had just done that for, a fist was also moving. That time, he stepped back, arched out of the way. It was only then that he realised what she was doing. This wasn’t like Steve teaching him to punch, this was learning to avoid.

And it was fun. Clarke moved like liquid, never needing to gain balance, always perfectly stable as she threw punches and kicks, trying to sweep his legs out from under him, or to knock his hips to break his balance. It became a game, of him ducking and avoiding, her pushing him around the ring with her movements. Eventually, she drew back, a small smile on her face.

‘Good. Now add this.’ In her hand, a long pole appeared. He took it from her, wondering why she had given it, before she summoned her own.

‘It increases reflex speed, something that’s one of your main strengths. Play on it.’ She swung the pole so hard that when it hit his, he almost stumbled.

**

Clarke knew that Peter was good, but he had been hurt. So, she gave up her motto of never doing these moves again, quickly showing him the way her Father had taught her how to fight. Quick, snappy movements that would disorientate, surprising the opponent enough to win in a quick fight. The sound of the wooden poles snapping against each other filled the room, and combined with the movements she had taught him earlier, he was beginning to get the hang of it.

She couldn’t protect him from everything. But she could try, would be by his side on the next mission, to stop him from being killed. Or hurt.

When they finally finished training, he led her back through the compound, a proud flush on his cheeks. He should be happy, not many got the training that quickly. It was impressive, his enhancement, and she was glad that, out of anyone that could have summoned her, she got Peter. As much as she wanted to stay, when Tony asked if she was joining them for Dinner, she knew she couldn’t. There were still Demons on Earth, still creatures that she needed to kill.

‘Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got a couple of Demons to round up. I’ll catch you later.’ She smiled at Peter, who looked slightly upset that she wasn’t staying, before bouncing from the room.

She landed in the dark, unsurprising really, before reaching across for the light-switch. The room lit up, metal reflecting the light back in her eyes as she studied the weapons. Anything and everything needed to kill a Demon, she thought, running her fingers across one of the blades. Her blood beaded under the sharp touch, staining the blade slightly, and she wondered if she should tell Peter how to kill a Demon, properly.

He was at risk, he had a bond that Demons would be able to see. And if they figured out who that Demon was, they might come after him. She studied each of her weapons, before opting for a small knife, sliding it into a box.

**

Loki ignored his brother, as usual, moving into the room that the Avengers had given him for when he stayed on Midgard. He was here more and more, enjoying the company of his brother, and trying to avoid speaking to his Mother. She wanted to know everything that had happened in the void, while he wanted to forget it ever happened.

He paused, looking to the box on his bed. He didn’t need to ask who left it, he could tell by the intricate carvings on the side, sliding back the lid to stare at the blade. A note, tucked inside, handwritten in the cursive that she had been taught.

_\- Keep him safe for me, C._


	8. Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ouch

Peter was pretty sure he was going to die. He was on the side of the building, most of the way up, and out of webs. Below, he could hear gunfire and chatter, Tony telling him that he was coming, that he would make it. Spiderman, that was what he needed to be right now, but instead, he was Peter Parker. Scared, wishing he had gone to school today instead of on the HYDRA mission, hoping that somebody reached him in time.

It was cold. That was another thing that struck him, with his suit broken and skin exposed, he was freezing. He looked up, to the rooftop he had fallen off of, thinking about the agent he had knocked out before the beam hit him. Now, he had about three minutes until the webs couldn’t hold anymore, and he would go falling to the ground. It would really hurt, probably kill him.

‘Can anybody reach Peter?’ Tony’s voice was frantic, but unfortunately, all major players on the board were busy. Thor was attempting to hold open a falling building, with Loki to help, while Steve and Bucky were saving people from a collapsed bus. Wanda was ages away, across the other end of the city, and Tony had been shot down and was patching his suit. So, the odds didn’t look too good, not even the Hulk was anywhere to be seen.

‘Shit, hold on kid.’ His mentor sounded strained, voice breaking half-way through, and Peter put on his best expression before answering.

‘It’s okay, Mr Stark.’ Unfortunately, the man he had knocked unconscious chose that time to peer over the ledge, gun in hand, and Peter dangling helplessly.

_‘Peter, fall.’_

He was going to die. It was either going to be from a bullet, or from fall damage. He wasn’t sure which one he preferred.

_‘FALL! Now Peter.’_

So, ignoring Tony screaming inside his head, Peter rolled off and let go, free-falling off the building.

**

Clarke punched, hard, watched the man topple over the ledge. He had shot the ledge, so it was a good thing Peter had fallen, and now the man was gone, Clarke looked over. And jumped right after the kid, hoping to reach him in time.

The feedback from the earpiece she had stolen while in the Compound was awful, people all screaming at Tony because Peter was about to hit, but Clarke was on it. Arms wrapping around the kid, pulling him up, and then spreading wings before she hit the floor. The wings, well, they could have issues with them later, Clarke hitting the floor and using them to shield both of them.

‘Peter.’ She murmured, looking down at the kid, who had blood smeared across him. He flicked his eyes open, confused, looking to the dark wings covering them.

‘You’ve got wings.’ His voice was slightly delirious, probably from the fall, and Clarke flinched when bullets hit her wings. Painful, but she could live.

‘Kid, hold on a second.’ She focused on his wounds, healing what she could, mentally seeking out Loki for assistance. She had lost a lot of energy baring her wings, was worried that she couldn’t heal all of his injuries.

**

Loki made sure Thor was good, before rushing across the city. It wasn’t hard to find her, a couple of the Avengers had also reached her and were shooting down the Agents around. His eyes flicked across the wings, blood-stained and messy, but he moved across and reached her side.

‘Clarke.’ She unravelled, and he caught her as she stumbled. Peter was on his feet, a slightly dazed look, so Loki reached out and pressed his hand to the boy’s forehead, healed the damage he could find. Clarke was spinning in circles, attempting to stare at her wings, and Loki felt like hitting both of them over the head. Idiots.

‘Hold.’ He shoved Peter in the Black Widow’s direction, turning back to the Demon who was becoming increasingly frustrated, tears welling in her eyes as she stared at the broken mess of wings.

‘Clarke.’ Apparently, that was the end of that, because she promptly dropped to the floor, wings and all, collapsing in on herself as her energy levels dropped. Loki had, in the past, been told about the energy that it took to make them visible, so he wasn’t entirely surprised when she passed out.

He moved across the space, scooped her up into his arms, mindful of the fact that her wings were slowly retreating. She looked pale, hair a mess, blood staining her arms from the damage done. Why she had jumped off a building after Peter, Loki didn’t know. He turned back to the group, found his brother staring at him with a weird expression. Maybe it was because he was actually showing emotion, worried about the Demon. After all, when the group found out that Demons shouldn’t have wings, there were going to be issues.

**

Peter had showered, was now standing on the other side of the glass, looking into the lab. Clarke was on the table, still not moving, pale as snow. Doctor Banner was in the room, as was Tony, both of them wanting to perform tests on her, to see if they could help. Loki was in the room, having been arguing with them for a while now, trying to explain that it was a very bad idea.

‘I haven’t seen Loki like this before.’ Natasha commented by his side, looking to Thor. The God seemed confused, although he was smiling.

‘She must be special.’ Peter looked back to the bed, to the fact that Clarke had jumped off a building after him. If she hadn't, he might be dead. To begin with, he presumed she had done it out of loyalty, saving her own skin by keeping him alive. But the more he thought about it, the more he began to suspect that they were actually becoming friends. She’d healed him, using the last of her energy to do so, and was now out cold.

Trust. She was trusting him, and Loki, to keep her safe. Peter needed to thank her, to tell her how much he appreciated her being by his side. But, for now, he could only watch as the God in the room kicked out the other two, stared down at the unconscious Demon.


	9. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn more about Clarke

‘Just be careful, if there are bullets embedded, use the tweezers.’ Loki handed them across without a second glance, moving towards the door like he intended to leave Peter alone. Clarke grinned, although it didn’t suit her pained expression, and Peter was beginning to regret offering to do this. The door swung shut, and he knew from the blinking red light in the corner that the others were watching.

‘Is this going to hurt you?’ Peter was looking to the black wings, both feathers and a leathery feeling, somewhere in between the two. They were soft to touch, but he could understand how annoying they must be, large enough that they were pulling Clarke back slightly.

‘It hurts more when they can’t heal. Get on with it?’ She didn’t snap at him, kept her voice light, which he hated even more. Why she was trying to be nice, when in such obvious pain, he didn’t know. He moved forwards, hands shaking slightly, fingers reaching out to brush through feathers. Clarke held still, even as he located the first wound.

It took time. Feathers fell, and every time he located a bullet, he usually had to dig it out. The Demon didn’t move, eyes squeezed shut tightly.

‘I didn’t know Demons had wings.’ He was attempting to take the attention away from the blood that was dripping to the floor, a bright red colour, joining the feathers on the floor.

‘We don’t. Not usually.’ Her voice was laced with pain, tinged at the corners with despair, her eyes still shut. He smoothed over one of the feathers, still remembering the feeling of letting go of the building. Just as she trusted him, he’d trusted her, although he hadn't really realised it until now.

‘So why do you?’ Was he pushing too far? He didn’t need to know, not unless she wanted to tell him. She’d proved to the team that she wasn’t going to betray him, not that he’d really feared such a thing.

‘I’m higher up than them.’ Oh, that was interesting. He tried to keep the tone casual, digging to find yet another bullet. The wings were thick, they seemed to have absorbed the shock from the bullets, but it looked painful. Were they connected to her like a limb was? Could she feel them? Bleed out from them? How did you kill a Demon, anyway?

‘Like, an upper-class Demon?’ She winced as he tugged at one of the feathers, for which he quickly apologised. A silence fell, before she sighed, looked across at him.

‘I’m the daughter of one of the Princes of Hell.’ He tried not to show shock, kept his features calm, even though he could tell that meant something. They went back to a comfortable silence, while Peter evaluated everything he knew. The Princes ruled Hell, which implied that she could too. But she didn’t want to go back, was currently working on sending other Demons back.

‘What were you like, as a human?’ He wasn’t sure where the question came from, but she gave him a quirky smile, her eyes fluttering shut as he moved to the second wing. The first was encased in a dark mist, almost like what Loki and Wanda used, and when it retreated, the wing looked healed.

‘Basically the same as I am now. Annoying, stubborn. The Village used to get so tired of me and my brother.’ She had a brother. Another thing he stored, wondering how far he could push her mood. He wanted to ask so many things, had so many questions.

‘You had a brother?’

‘Younger, yeah. Probably a couple years younger than you.’ How old had she been, when she’d died? Peter, at seventeen, was willing to guess that she could only be around nineteen. That didn’t include her Hell-years, of course, and he didn’t know how to ask about those. Not when she seemed to hate Hell so much.

‘What was his name?’ Clarke had an accent, one that he hadn't placed before. He was trying, but it didn’t seem to fit anything he had heard before.

‘William. I had a sister, four years older. Rebecca. Didn’t see much of her though, she was married and lived with her husband.’ So, a middle child. Peter finished with the wing, and that apparently meant the end of conversations. They disappeared in a flash, and the Demon stood up, rolling her shoulders.

‘Tell me more about HYDRA.’

**

Peter was going to school tomorrow. Clarke watched him say goodbye to the Avengers, ready to go back to his Aunt’s house, while she stood on the side-line. Loki was studying her, just as he usually did, eyes calculating and curious. She gave him a brief smile, the only one that seemed to care that she was here, but was surprised when Thor also beamed at her. Okay, he was rather like an oversized puppy, and he was beginning to grow on her.

Clarke turned to follow Peter, realising just how much she had changed since Peter had summoned her. It was ridiculous, following him around like a loyal subject, before she shook off the feeling. Friends, that was what they were, and Peter seemed like the kind of person that she could be friends with for a while.

‘Movie night?’ He asked, eyes wide and genuine, and she wished that he didn’t have to go up against these evil people. HYDRA, an organisation that sounded like a bunch of dicks. She wondered if they would notice if she went out hunting them by herself.

‘Sounds good.’ She’d wait till he was sleeping, she decided, before going after them. He deserved to grow up normally, like a kid should, to have the fun that she missed out on at the end of her teenage years. Then she thought to Loki, to the threat that the Avengers were preparing for, the legendary Mad Titan that Clarke had only seen once, when she’d first side-stepped across the Void. So many things to protect Peter from, so many things that could go wrong. She looked up at him, the boy was walking with a spring in his step, humming happily. How could she ever let him get hurt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still enjoying? Anything you guys want to see?


	10. Shooting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violence in this chapter guys, a trigger situation involving a school shooting. Please don't read if this'll affect you!

‘Why’d you miss school?’ Ned was by his side, MJ on the other, and unfortunately, all of them had detention. As did Flash, for the issues that had come apparent earlier in the day. Peter didn’t mean to trip and spill stuff all over Flash, it just happened. And, if MJ and Ned came to his defence, then that should have been allowed.

‘Tony needed me.’ Not a lie, although from the rolling of Flash’s eyes, he didn’t believe it. The classroom was empty, the teacher had abandoned them in favour of coffee, and so they were free to chat. That was, until he felt something. His hairs stood on end, a cold shiver rushing down his spine, and he looked to the door.

Then the gunfire started. The four of them were instantly frozen, because there was no mistaking that sound. Peter was the first to move, rushing to the door and slamming a desk under it. Flash got on board swiftly after, moving the desk with a little more difficulty to assist Peter, while MJ looked at the windows. Running, always a good plan, but they weren’t on the ground floor.

Ned looked ready to pass out. Peter turned the lights off, but it was still bright outside. Shutting the blinds would be suspicious, and a very bad idea, so instead he reached for his phone. Dialling Tony was an instinct.

‘Mr Stark?’

‘Underoos. What’s wrong?’

‘There’s someone in the school,’ He paused when a round of gunfire went off, closer this time, flinched and crouched down behind the desk, ‘They’ve got a gun.’ He whispered the words, while looking at Flash and his friends. He heard Tony’s promises of coming to get him, and then the words that followed.

‘Get Clarke.’ He hung up, tried to listen to see if anyone was coming. And then, just as Clarke had taught him, he screwed his eyes shut and prayed that she’d come and find him. With that, the four of them waited.

**

Clarke received the prayer, felt her blood boil as she bounced into the school. The corridor was empty, so she reached out silently, testing her end of the bond. She felt Peter, still definitely alive, but afraid. Her duty may be to him, but she knew that there were other people alive in the school, and she could save them as well.

To begin with, she had presumed it would be a student doing the shooting. However, upon finding the first of the gunmen, she quickly realised there was an issue. Because a HYDRA Agent shouldn’t be standing in a school, not unless they knew that an enhanced was here. Peter. They were here for Peter. And anyone that got in the way was dead.

She cracked his skull open on the wall before he had a chance to shoot her, leaving the gun abandoned and moved deeper into the school. There were a couple of bodies, and they were already dead, so she couldn’t aid them. Peter’s classroom was her next stop, trying the handle and finding they had barricaded the door. Clever kid, but she didn’t have time, so she ripped the door from the frame.

They went to scream, but Peter was quick to tell them to shut up. Clarke peered at the four children, cocked her head.

‘Hey Peter.’

‘Clarke.’ He’d never looked more relieved, and she went to say something funny, until someone shot her in the chest.

Peter choked back a gasp, the others had gone very still, but Clarke just looked over her shoulder at the Agent coming in her direction.

‘Really?’ It didn’t take much, just a flick of her hand to send him flying back down the corridor, the crunch at the end signalling that he wouldn’t be an issue anymore.

‘You just got shot.’ One of the kids, she presumed he was Flash, said.

‘Not my first time. Come on, let’s get you out of here.’

**

Tony was not calm. Partly because he wasn’t allowed in the bloody building, not while they were trying to identify if it was a student doing the shooting. Steve stood by his side, trying to calm him, Natasha on the other side, looking ready to break through the crowds to get to the school. Then, just as Tony was ready to go past these people, Clarke appeared on the steps. Guns were raised to her, but she didn’t seem concerned, disappearing again.

‘She’s one of ours.’ Tony pushed through the crowd, just as Clarke reappeared, this time with kids. Tony recognised Ned, and MJ, presumed the third had to be Flash. Peter came running across, and Tony would later pretend he didn’t pull the kid in and hug him, holding him tight.

‘Mr Stark?’ He ignored him, let the heartbeat reassure him that Peter was alive.

‘It isn’t a student. They’re HYDRA.’ Clarke was having an argument with one of the Officers, who seemed to be threatening her if she didn’t move away from the school. Tony went to say something, probably to defend the Demon, but she was already turning and running back up the steps, towards the school.

‘Where’s she going?’ Tony muttered.

‘To save the others.’ Peter pointed out, like it was the most normal thing in the world for a Demon to want to save people.

**

Clarke was beginning to enjoy the killing a little too much. Passing by glass, she caught sight of her reflection. Her eyes were burning red, and she was pretty sure if she smiled, her teeth wouldn’t quite be human. Features that slipped out, especially when she used so much power at once. The doors flung open without her asking them to, proving just how much her magic was spiralling. Heads turned, and she evaluated the situation.

Eight HYDRA Agents, a bunch of kids curled up on the floor, looking terrified.

‘Who the Hell are you?’ A gun, raised, pointing in her direction. Clarke cocked her head, let her smirk do the talking, felt her teeth prick at her lips. That was the warning she gave them, before she began to run, fully ready to kill all of them.

Vaguely, she knew that she should keep one alive. But this was what Demons were good at, killing, and she did it so very well. The only thing that stopped her from killing the last one was a whimper from the one of the kids.

‘They’re dead, run.’ And they did, scrambling up and out of the school at breakneck speed. Clarke looked down, to the one trying to crawl away from her. She’d drop him off at the Avengers Compound, she figured.

She needed to work out why HYDRA knew there was an enhanced at the school, and how close they were to discovering it was Peter. Because if they knew, no amount of guns were going to protect them. She’d kill them all.

**

‘And HORNS! She had horns.’ The Officers may not seem to believe the kids that were explaining who had saved them, but Tony was. Peter looked pale, especially when the Officers confirmed that the building was empty, that no sign of the blonde female had been found.

‘Friday, what is it?’

‘Miss Clarke has dropped off a person in the Hulk-Tank, Sir.’ Of course she had. And what was this about horns?

‘Thanks.’

‘And Sir? Mr Laufeyson has gone with her.’ Well, shit.


	11. They're After Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Clarke-Heavy chapter, but Peter will be coming up next chapter!

‘They’re after Peter.’

‘I heard you the first time.’

‘I can’t let that happen.’ Loki rolled his eyes, looked around the supposedly-abandoned HYDRA base that Clarke had brought them to. She was angry, fuming, storming around which honestly looked slightly amusing, considering how small she was. He did understand, Peter had already managed to worm his way into her heart, and she cared for him. One thing Clarke did not do was take things lying down.

Hence the HYDRA base, that the Team had been due to raid in two weeks, since the World Council were starting to slow them down on missions. But Clarke was not an Avenger, and she did not obey the rules that they did. Technically, Loki was not going to do anything, merely came to enjoy the storm she was going to cause.

He also didn’t mention the Demonic-features that were slipping from her usually well-maintained control. The horns curving out from her hair, although small, deadly. The fangs, which he had seen before, but still reminded him of the mythic Vampires that Midgardians were fascinated with. Her wings were close to bursting, he could tell, and her eyes were the deepest shade of red, not unlike his own.

‘Peter will be alright.’ He didn’t mind the Spiderling, thought the adolescent did quite well considering his age. Determined, strong-willed, and smart. A combination that made him a worthy Warrior, someone Loki was pleased to fight alongside. He could also understand why Clarke was quick to protect him. Not only was the boy friendly, with a heart of gold that Loki did not understand, but he was kind to her as well. Had trusted a Demon, someone that shouldn’t have even been considered trustworthy.

‘What exactly is the plan?’ He inquired, turning the corner to see a gun aimed at his chest. Clarke didn’t even move a muscle, didn’t need to, she was angry enough that her Magic did it for her.

He’d often wondered how powerful she was. Since the first time they met, he had been captivated by the power she held, as the daughter of a Prince of Hell. Not just any Prince, either. But Clarke had been hesitant to show her full hand, which he admired, keeping her cards close to her chest. It made sense, from what he had heard of Hell, it was a lawless place. The only standing society was based on the fear that Demons had of the Princes.

‘Burn them all.’ She grunted, voice lower than before, and when she turned to face him, he schooled his shock well. Her human skin was missing in some places, replaced with a patchwork of greys and blacks and reds, in a pattern that he didn’t doubt would be terrifying if complete. She really was angry, he mused, grinning to let her know that he was fully onboard with the plan. After all, how many chances would he get to see a Demon destroy something so easily?

**

Clarke hated fire. With a passion. A burning passion, if you ignored the pun. It stemmed from Hell, she concluded, because she had loved it as a human. Fires were what kept them warm at night, gathering around them to tell tales and cook, to join her family and friends and community. They had been a sign of safety, of peace.

In Hell, they had been signs of destruction. Flames that burnt, licked at skin until the ache was too much to bear. The smoke had no effect, so left to the heat, it was awful. Intense, in the way she couldn’t shake it off. It was the only source of light, as well, meaning that it just so happened to be the place that she spent the most time. If you ran out of light in Hell, it was bad. Things hid in the darkness that not even a Prince wanted to run into.

So, she hated fire. But it didn’t mean she wouldn’t use it. Princes had abilities, gifts given to them as part of their status. The wings, horns, fangs, the redness of their eyes. Other things, telekinesis, telepathy. Those were standard, other things could follow. She had quickly learnt the ability to control fire, seeing it as a necessity when she hated the thing. To control it, meant controlling her fear.

The air smelt of burned flesh. She should know. It was so hot, that the building itself was beginning to lose structure. Combined with the fact that she had urged the lake to flood its banks, the water now spreading through the rubble that was left. It was wrecked, a clear sign to any that were watching that she was the new threat to HYDRA, and if they even thought about coming after her bonded, she would kill them.

Loki was somewhere, probably admiring the building she had managed to tear down with a simple scream of anger. But she wasn’t all-powerful, she had limits, and she had hit one of them a moment ago. Already, her body was beginning to drain of energy, making her more mortal than she would like. Right now, a bullet could be deadly. Never had she let herself get this drained, not even in the darkest depths of Hell.

She didn’t know how she’d look Peter in the eye. Well, right now, she couldn’t, not when her skin was flecked with the colours of Hell, while her eyes burnt like the fires in front. For now, she would lick her wounds and heal, rest until she could return to Peter’s side. Of course, if he called, she would go. That didn’t change. But it was very different, knowing she was a monster, to seeing it. Losing him would hurt, not least because he might return her to Hell.

Overall, Clarke wasn’t having a great day.

**

Peter was currently embraced in a hug with his Aunt. He didn’t like that Tony was keeping things from him, like why Clarke and Loki were missing from the Compound, where they had gone. He missed her, wanted to thank her for all she had done to save them. His friends had a lot of questions about her, and he would answer them, eventually. Would tell them that they had genuinely summoned a Demon, one that had the capability of moving things with her mind, of moving around the world so simply.

Was she angry with him? For getting in these situations, for struggling to save his own skin? And why had HYDRA been at the school? He had recognised their uniform, the symbol that was branded on their disguises. Did they know about him? If they did, he knew his Mentor would be trying to sort that immediately. Peter at risk was something he didn’t do; Tony was quick to try and sort things when they occurred.

All Spiderman could think about, however, was Clarke. Sitting alone on the edge of his bed, looking out across the sleeping-City, he wondered when his friend would return.

And what state she would be in, when she did.

**Author's Note:**

> What do you guys think????!!!


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